


First Fall

by AllonsyBatch



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen, Graphic Description of Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, One Shot, Pre-Relationship, Prequel, Terra whump, Training, fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 12:02:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20096935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllonsyBatch/pseuds/AllonsyBatch
Summary: One-shot: During training, Aqua loses control of her magic.  Loosely inspired by the Sectumsempra scene in Harry Potter, and satisfying my need for the ridiculous lack of Terra Whump out there.  Set when Aqua and Terra are in their mid-teens.





	First Fall

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Graphic description of injuries, including blood.

Aqua didn’t want to get up. That was saying something, because of all the people who lived in the castle, all three of them, she was probably the only one who could be described as a morning person. Lately, she hadn’t looked forward to training the way she used to, but then again training lately meant lining up to get her ass kicked by Terra. If she wasn’t so angry with him at the moment, she’d be amazed by his sheer physical growth in the past few months. Less than half a year ago she and the master had sat down with a wisp of a boy to sing him a happy fifteenth birthday, and now he was a monster. 

Terra had grown from being shorter than Aqua to towering over her in less than two years, and he frequently reminded her by holding items far above her head, putting her desired items on top of high cabinets, and otherwise just verbally teasing her. It wasn’t just his height, but his sheer mass that had grown, as the boy who used to seek out the Master in order to open jars could now perform one-handed pushups and bench press Aqua without breaking a sweat. 

That led them to training, and the one thing that Aqua could not seem to get an edge on these days. Terra was on a long winning streak, and let her know it all the time. His taunts had started good-naturedly enough, but more and more they were starting to make her blood boil to the point of tears, which only added fuel to his fire. 

Just as she was dragging herself out of bed, she heard a knock on her bedroom door. It could really only be one person, as the Master would have awaited permission before bounding through, and sure enough without waiting for her to speak, Terra was already inside. 

“What’s taking you so long?” He asked, pushing an entire slice of toast in his mouth before kneeling to adjust his iron boots. 

“Need me to remind you how table manners work?” she asked sarcastically, groaning as she slumped out of bed and to her closet. She started to pull her night shirt off over her head and grinned to herself when Terra almost tripped trying to turn himself away from her, covering his eyes in a panic. 

“Look, just because I’ve beaten you…what? Forty-six days now? Just because I’ve beaten you forty-six days in a row, doesn’t mean you have to be so rude.” 

“Shut up, Terra,” she sighed, not having the strength to clap back. 

“Tell you what, I’ll even give you a free shot,” Terra laughed, still standing with his back to her while she got dressed. “We’ll head down to the training grounds early, just you and me, and I’ll give you first dibs before the Master can get into your head.” 

“Whatever,” she sighed, tossing the shirt that actually belonged to him at his head before walking out of her door ahead of him. 

“Hey…I’ve been looking for that,” he whined, although it wasn’t the first time Aqua had stolen one of his oversized shirts to sleep in, and they both knew he didn’t mind in the least that she did so. He thought for a moment before tossing the shirt back on Aqua’s bed, following her out the door.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was early enough in the Land of Departure that a fine mist still rose off the small ponds near the training grounds, Aqua watching it roil and curl around Terra’s feet as he jogged in place to warm up in front of her. She was still moving sluggishly, but she had to admit it was hard not to crack a smile at how happy Terra had been lately. Up until his recent growth spurt, Aqua had been the best at everything. It was no secret to either of them that she excelled in all things academic, but she had no problem on the battleground of the training pitch either until Terra finally outgrew her. She was still faster, but it had become obvious that she would have to use something other than strength to best him at this point, and whatever that was she was still lacking. 

Her magic was what she had chosen to work on recently, though she had to admit it was coming with more difficultly than she had anticipated. She had pored over the Master’s many volumes in the library, but there seemed to be something missing when she would cast her own spells, the fires and blizzards fizzling out long before they could do any real damage. Her only consolation was that Terra’s was even worse. 

“Hello? Are you in there?” Apparently Terra had been trying to get her attention for several minutes, Aqua too stuck inside her own head to notice. “Look, maybe you should just stay inside with your books today,” Terra chided, giving her a grin that made her face pink with irritation. “Wouldn’t want you to get hurt.” 

Aqua summoned her Keyblade into her hand, squaring up to him with determination. “Shut up and bow,” she nearly snarled, Terra chuckling at her anger. 

“Careful now, put the claws back in, I was just kidding,” he laughed, making her even angrier. He summoned his own Keyblade and performed the customary bow before beginning their match, not even bothering to move as Aqua lunged forward, instead parrying her first blow and knocking her back without even moving his feet. 

“Predictable,” he sighed, twirling his Keyblade around in his hand before squaring up again, this time jumping toward Aqua’s left and catching her off-balance. She righted herself just before he was able to strike, executing an impressive cartwheel off one of his lowered shoulders just in time. 

“Nice move, maybe you should become a gymnast instead of a Keyblade Master,” he teased, tossing his blade back and forth between his hands once for good measure. 

“You’ve been a real ass lately, Terra,” Aqua growled, annoyed that she could feel tears prickling her eyes and willing them not to fall so she wouldn’t look weak. 

“It’s not my fault you’ve been off your game lately,” he replied, dodging another attack with ease and retaliating with one powerful enough to make her land flat on her behind. She ignored his offered hand to help her up. 

“And it’s not my fault you’ve grown into some gorilla-man,” she taunted back, brushing herself off and trying to clear her mind, but finding it fogged with her anger. 

“I’m a growing boy,” he teased, giving her the most innocent smile he could muster and adding insult to injury by keeping it on his face as he struck once more. 

Growing tired already, Aqua decided to try a different approach, holding one hand up and attempting to channel her magic. 

“Fire!” she shouted, a meager ball of flame creeping from her hand and toward her opponent, Terra able to knock it easily out of the way before chuckling to himself again. 

“I mean, seriously, what’s been up with you lately?” he asked, holding the conversation with such normalcy as if he weren’t delivering blow after blow in Aqua’s direction, watching her grow more and more fatigued as he moved. “You used to be so full of fire, and now…it’s like you’re not even trying.” 

Aqua felt her face heat up, the anger rising in her throat and making her heart pound in her chest. 

“I’m warning you, Terra,” she sneered through her teeth. 

“I’m just being honest,” he replied, although she thought she saw a flash of something like remorse in his eyes before he continued. “Maybe it’s time for you to hang it up, Aqua. Get a new dream.” 

Aqua lunged at him with a newfound vigor, catching him off guard and forcing him to his non-dominant side. He countered in time to avoid her hit, but she was already coming back with another, this time catching her Keyblade square in his gut. He doubled over, the wind knocked out of him, but he had no time to recover before she was back again, this time sending a ball of fire straight for his head. He jumped out of the way with a yelp, but overcorrected as he came down and caught himself with an outstretched arm, Aqua hearing the bone break with a sickening crack but continuing anyway. 

She was far enough away that she could see he was hurt, and somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she should stop as Terra stood, cradling his broken arm in front of him, but the ire that had risen inside her had taken complete control, and before she could stop herself, a rush of magic burst from her hands and shot toward Terra. 

She tried to take it back. The moment it left her hands she knew it was too strong, too destructive, but trying to grab it was like trying to grab water through loose fingers. If he had two working arms Terra might have been able to dodge it, but in his current state the spell hit him straight in the chest, slicing through his shirt and skin like butter before sending him flying through the air and back onto the ground hard upon his back. 

Aqua stood frozen for a moment, hoping that Terra would somehow jump up unharmed but knowing in her heart that he was anything but. She remained frozen until the first blossom of red began soaking through his shirt, before the red began to come at an alarming rate.

Rushing to his side and falling to the ground, Aqua screamed in anguish at the sight before her. Terra’s chest had been slashed four times-four clean gouges in his flesh deep enough that she couldn’t see the bottom. Blood had already soaked through the tatters of his shirt, and she placed her hands on his bloodied chest in a futile effort to abate the bleeding. 

Terra’s face was frozen in shock, and just as she thought he was going to say something he coughed, Aqua screaming as blood poured from his mouth and stained his teeth a sickly red. 

There was no longer the playful gleam in Terra’s eyes that she knew so well-now there was only pure, unadulterated fear-and Aqua screamed for the Master as loud as she could, her voice breaking as she sobbed and tried to hold Terra’s battered body together. 

“A-qua…” Terra stammered, tears flowing involuntarily from his eyes and mixing with the blood that had poured from his mouth. “H-help…” 

She tried with all her might to summon a Cure spell, the meager green light around her hands doing nothing to help Terra, whose eyes flickered threateningly as his face reduced to the color of ash. He was losing too much blood. There was so much on the ground around them, all over him, all over her arms and hands…

He was going to…

“What is the meaning of-“ 

Aqua heard the Master’s voice and cried out again, a noise of pure anguish as she saw Master Eraqus take in the horrible sight before him-Terra upon the ground, Aqua holding his chest as he bled profusely. He had no time to ask what had happened, although there were few possibilities considering they were the only residents of this land. He dropped to the ground, pushing Aqua roughly out of the way and closing his eyes with his hands hovering above Terra’s chest. 

“Put him to sleep, Aqua,” Eraqus said shrewdly, not opening his eyes as he concentrated, Aqua watching the skin of Terra’s chest move ever-so-slowly back in the direction it belonged. 

“Please, Master…please help him,” Aqua sobbed, now holding Terra’s head in her hands, shaking her head as she watched helplessly. 

“Cast Sleep, Aqua,” Eraqus repeated, his voice hitching as he conjured the most powerful magic he could, the first gash on Terra’s chest knitting back together roughly. 

Aqua shook her head again, telling herself she would never cast another magic spell as long as she lived if her friend would just not die, not leave her alone after all she had done to him. 

“He is in pain, Aqua!” Eraqus shouted, Aqua looking down at Terra’s pleading eyes before she put her hand on his forehead, leaving an outline in blood as she poured every ounce of strength she had left into the spell. 

“Sleep,” she sobbed, Terra’s eyes closing as his head lolled to one side, Eraqus putting the finishing touches on the fourth and final wound. The cuts had sewn themselves back together, angry red welts left in their place beneath the blood that had once flown freely from them. Aqua felt faint at the sight-she’d never seen so much blood before. 

“Get back,” Eraqus spat, pushing Aqua out of the way as he stood and lifted Terra from the ground. Any other time Aqua would have been amazed at the strength the Master showed lifting Terra so effortlessly, but now all she could do was shuffle to her feet, following the Master as he carried Terra back to the castle. 

“I want to help,” she cried, following in his footsteps and picking up Terra’s discarded Keyblade from the ground. 

“I think you’ve done enough,” Eraqus replied, Aqua falling to her knees as the Master carried her best friend back home.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Aqua’s feet found their own way back to the castle, as her mind was so clouded with grief and regret she couldn’t even remember getting up off the ground. She was looking at Terra’s open bedroom door, the emptiness of the room alerting her that Eraqus had taken him to his own private quarters. Looking down at herself, Aqua knew she would need to clean herself up before Eraqus would allow her to help, as her torso and arms were covered in Terra’s dried blood. 

She turned the water to scalding and rubbed her skin until it was raw, somehow unable to wash away the knowledge that she had nearly (and possibly still) killed her best and only friend in the worlds. Rushing to her room to change, she broke down into hysterical sobs at the sight of Terra’s shirt on her bed, realizing he must have left it there after she returned it that morning. Composing herself to the best of her abilities, she rushed off to the Master’s bedroom, finding the door closed and locked. 

She could hear the Master muttering incantations inside, and not wanting to ruin any of his healing spells, she waited outside the door, sinking to the floor and hugging her knees to her chest as she cried softly into her folded arms. 

Eraqus occasionally came out of the room to fetch various bandages and herbs, never speaking to Aqua despite seeing her anguish in waiting for news if Terra would be okay. It was nearing nightfall before he opened the door and beckoned her inside, Aqua having to hold her hands over her mouth to stifle the cry at the sight that met her. 

Terra had grown exponentially these past few months, but now he looked so small in the middle of the Master’s large bed, like a child who had climbed in after a bad dream. The tattered remains of his shirt had been cut away, and his chest bound in clean white bandages. His broken arm was also bandaged, propped on a pillow beside him. What Aqua found the most concerning, however, was his color. Terra’s skin was a pale grey, his lips nearly white as if she were viewing him through a black and white television. His hair had been slicked back, Eraqus obviously having cleaned him up considering the last time Aqua had seen him he’d been covered in his own blood. 

“Is he…” she whispered, tears somehow still falling despite having flowed for most of the afternoon. 

“Alive. Barely…” Eraqus replied softly, Aqua hearing the fatigue in his voice. “He lost a lot of blood.” 

Aqua stepped closer to the bed and took Terra’s good hand in hers, gasping at how cool it felt in hers, and squeezed. 

“Aqua…” Eraqus began, Aqua closing her eyes as she steeled herself for a scolding the likes of which she’d never experienced. “I owe you an apology.” 

That was definitely not what she was expecting. She turned to face him, the Master’s face weary as he looked down in shame. “I…I don’t understand,” she replied, stammering. “I…”

“I have been instructing Terra to egg you on for weeks. I had hoped his playful taunts would spur you into action-to light a fire beneath you and encourage you to work harder,” he explained. “I was wrong.” 

“He…you…” Aqua didn’t understand-it wasn’t actually Terra treating her so poorly these last few weeks? That moment earlier-when she saw that shred of remorse…

“He was against the idea from the beginning,” Eraqus continued. “He wanted to tell you, but I forbade him and instead instructed him to continue his taunts.” 

Aqua shook her head, not wanting to accept what she was hearing. Terra hadn’t really wanted to say all those things to her-he was simply obeying the Master’s orders-and she’d nearly killed him. 

“I don’t know what I did to him…”

“It was strong magic,” Eraqus supplied for her. “It seems that in a perverse way, my idea worked, as I’ve never seen such a strong spell from you. Your future as a mage is promising, if not terrifying.” 

“I never meant to hurt him,” she whispered, her eyes wide in shock as she attempted to process all this. 

“Nor did I intend to hurt you both,” the Master spoke softly, placing a hand on Aqua’s shoulder. “I am sorry, my child. I hope in time you and Terra can find it in your hearts to forgive me.” 

Aqua squeezed Terra’s hand again, wishing she could talk to him about all this and have him tell her it would be okay. 

“When are you going to lift the Sleep spell I put on him?” she asked quietly, not sure what else to say at the moment. 

“I already have,” the Master answered solemnly, lowering his head once more as Aqua realized what that meant. “I have set the broken bone and healed the chest wounds to the best of my ability, but he still has a long road of healing in front of him.” 

“When will he wake up?” Aqua asked, fear evident in her eyes. 

“I don’t know, my child,” Eraqus answered softly, stepping up beside her and placing a hand on Terra’s forehead and lovingly stroking his hair. “Right now we can only wait, and allow him to rest.” 

“I’m staying with him,” Aqua said with determination. 

“I wouldn’t dream of making you leave,” Eraqus sighed. “I only ask that you lend him your strength, as I know he would do the same for you.” 

Aqua nodded, vowing to herself that she would not leave Terra’s side until he was able to physically move her himself. She owed it to him, and she would not lose her best friend. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The color had slowly returned to Terra’s face after two days, but Aqua’s had slowly dissipated as she grew more and more concerned for her friend. She gently mopped his brow with a wet cloth as she had done hundreds of times now, talking to him quietly even though he had yet to answer. Despite Eraqus’ constant pleas and assurances that none of this was her fault, she had yet to leave Terra’s side, diligently tending to his every need without fail for days. 

She was just adjusting his pillow for the thirtieth time that day when she heard a small noise, recognizing it as a small whine from the back of Terra’s throat. Her heart leapt with hope as she sat on the mattress beside him, touching his cheek with one hand as his eyelashes fluttered. 

“Terra? Terra…can you hear me? Please wake up, Terra…” 

His eyes flickered open, the familiar blue hazy with sleep as he focused on Aqua above him. 

“A-qua?” he mumbled, sounding a million miles away as his brow furrowed at the sight of her concerned face. 

“Shh…” she shushed, taking the cloth and wiping his brow again as her other hand cupped his cheek. “Yeah, it’s me. Just rest.” 

“Aqua…” he replied, eyes focusing as he tried to sit up. “It wasn’t…me…” 

She pushed him gently back down to the bed, her heart sinking slightly at how little strength he had to fight her. “I know. Master Eraqus told me everything. I…I’m so sorry, Terra. I’m so sorry for what I did.” 

“It was…brilliant,” he mumbled, giving her the smallest, tired smile that made her heart soar. “You were…amazing.” 

“And you’re an idiot,” she laughed through tears, brushing a lock of hair out of his face. “Are you in any pain?”

As much as it looked like it pained him just to admit it, he nodded, trying to lift his broken arm from its pillow perch but barely having the strength to lift it an inch. 

“Broken,” Aqua responded to his silent question, laying one hand on top of the bandaged arm to keep it still. “Hold on, I’ll go get the Master.” 

She called out into the hallway, Eraqus appearing in moments, looking more bedraggled than Aqua could ever remember seeing him. He had been sneaking short naps in Terra’s bed between taking care of him, pushing food in front of Aqua every so many hours and encouraging her to eat if only to keep her strength up to better care for Terra. 

To Aqua’s surprise, the Master fell to one knee and put his hand to his chest upon seeing Terra awake and alert, his voice coming out more shaky than Aqua had ever heard. 

“My son…Terra…”

“Told you she wouldn’t like it,” Terra teased, even Eraqus cracking a small smile as he took in Terra’s tired expression. 

“I hope you can one day forgive me, my child,” Eraqus replied, standing and placing a hand back on the top of Terra’s head. “You need to rest. Aqua, I suppose it is futile to ask you to get some rest yourself?”

Aqua nodded, sincerely hoping Eraqus didn’t put up a fight about her remaining with Terra. Thankfully, he nodded, giving Terra one final bow before standing up and waving a hand over him, a green light emanating from his hand as Terra relaxed, his pain apparently being lessened by whatever spell Eraqus had cast. “Let him rest, Aqua.” 

Once they were alone, Aqua couldn’t stop the tears that came back to her eyes. She was so sick of crying-she’d done so much of it in the last few days that she wondered if she’d ever be able to cry again once this was all over. 

“Why are you crying?” Terra mumbled, whatever the Master had cast on him clearly making him sleepy again. 

“Because you almost died. I almost killed you,” she whispered, holding his good hand between both of hers. 

“Not getting rid of me that easily,” he mumbled, attempting to give her a sleepy smile, his eyes staying closed just a fraction too long to be convincing. 

“You need to rest, I’ll leave you alone,” Aqua replied quietly, starting to stand up, only to have Terra clutch her hand weakly. 

“Please don’t go,” he mumbled, struggling to stay awake long enough to argue. “Please?”

“Anything you want,” she whispered back, more than happy to oblige as she curled up on the mattress beside him. She hadn’t slept in days, and the weight of the entire situation seemed to hit her all at once as she allowed her eyes to close, Terra’s hand still firmly clasped in hers.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Just before she opened her eyes, Aqua forgot for a brief instant what had happened until a voice that sounded just a bit stronger brought her back to reality. 

“You’re still a blanket hog.” 

Aqua opened her eyes to find herself curled up on one side of Master Eraqus’ bed, a blanket completely surrounding her and Terra lying uncovered a few inches away. She was thankful that Eraqus at some point had put him in a pair of his sweatpants, because Aqua imagined that the embarrassment she currently felt would be nothing compared to waking up beside a naked Terra. 

“Sorry…what time is it?” she asked groggily, looking at the soft light from the windows and realizing it must be either early evening or early morning. 

“Early enough that you can go back to sleep if you want,” he mumbled, Aqua hearing the sound of liquid sloshing and turning to face him. He was holding a bowl of what looked like broth, but with only one hand he was struggling to hold it and use the spoon at the same time. 

“Here, let me help you,” she yawned, sitting up and tossing the blanket back over him before taking the bowl out of his hand. She held up a spoonful of soup, Terra sighing before leaning forward to accept being fed like an infant. 

“Well, this is embarrassing,” he replied after swallowing, looking shyly at Aqua as she fed him another spoonful. 

“I broke you, the least I can do is feed you,” Aqua replied. “I’m just glad to see you eating something.” 

“I’m feeling a little better,” Terra admitted between bites, and true to his word, his color had mostly returned to his face and his eyes seemed a little brighter than before. “I guess sleeping for three days would do anyone some good. Maybe I can get up and walk around a bit today.” 

“You still need to rest,” Aqua warned him, feeding him another bite and looking at him through her lashes. “Don’t push it too soon.” 

“What I really want is a shower,” Terra sighed, nodding as Aqua put the bowl on the bedside table and helped him lay back against the pillows, propping him up. “And my own bed. It’s weird being in here.” 

“I think he wanted you closer to the medicine closet,” Aqua mused, wondering herself why Master Eraqus didn’t put Terra in his own room. 

“Maybe, but I just want to get back to normal,” he sighed. 

“Terra, you almost died-“

“Almost,” Terra agreed, rolling his eyes. “But not all the way. I’m fine now.” 

“You are _not_ fine,” Aqua argued, rolling her own eyes and pulling the blankets back to reveal the bandages wrapped around his chest. 

“Yeah…can we take those off? They’re itchy,” he whined, using his good hand to scratch at the edges. 

“Maybe…I can go ask the Master-“

“Since when do you always ask for permission?” Terra chuckled lightly, giving her a crooked smirk the likes of which she hadn’t seen for days, and she had to admit it made her heart lighter. 

“Okay, fine. Can you sit up?”

Terra was surprised at how gentle every one of Aqua’s touches were, as he barely noticed when her fingers curled around the bandages surrounding his torso, lightly unwrapping them to reveal four red, raised welts upon his chest. The wounds were closed, and looked much more advanced in the healing process than three days of nature would have provided. Aqua could barely look at him, her fingers feather-light as they reached out to touch one of the raised lines. 

“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” Terra whispered to her, touching his own chest and finding himself surprised as there indeed was no more pain. “What was that spell, anyway?”

“I don’t know,” Aqua admitted, shaking her head and removing her hand from his chest. “I’m so sorry.” 

“Don’t,” he sighed, pulling the blanket back over himself so the wounds were no longer visible. “If I hadn’t been saying those things, you never would have-“

“You were just following orders,” she argued. “I should have known you would never say those things on your own.” 

“He told me what to say most of the time,” he admitted. “I told him you weren’t going to react the way he wanted. I was…kind of right, I guess.” 

“It was so scary, Terra. There was so much blood…” 

“I don’t really remember,” he admitted, shrugging. “I remember landing wrong on my arm, and then…nothing until I woke up.” 

“I thought you were dead,” Aqua replied, so quiet it was barely audible. “I thought I killed you.” 

“What do I have to say to make you stop feeling sorry for me?” Terra sighed, rolling his eyes once more. 

“Maybe not be laid out on your deathbed?” Aqua huffed. 

“Fine,” Terra replied easily, throwing the covers off himself and sitting up before Aqua could stop him. He swung his feet over a little too fast, a groan of pain escaping his mouth as Aqua rushed to his side of the bed. 

“Don’t, Terra!”

“I’m getting out of this bed, Aqua,” he argued, although some of the color had leached from his face with the simple act. “Are you going to help me, or am I doing this by myself?”

She sighed in frustration, sitting down to wrap Terra’s good arm around her shoulders and helping him up with one of her arms around his waist. “Take it slow, I mean it.” 

“Yes, mom,” he sighed, standing up slowly and wavering slightly as he got to his feet. He had to walk slowly, as going too fast sent a wave of pain through his chest, but as long as he kept the pace easy he was able to walk with Aqua down the short hallway to the castle kitchen, where Eraqus was reading through a book on curses and drinking a cup of tea.

“Terra! What are you doing out of bed?” Eraqus barked, putting his tea down and closing his book.

“Being a stubborn ass,” Aqua answered for him, still holding up quite a bit of Terra’’s weight. 

“So, you know, back to normal,” Terra teased, although his smile was just a bit forced. 

“Trying to do too much too quickly will only set back your recovery further,” Eraqus scolded, Aqua looking at Terra meaningfully. 

“Oh, if only _someone_ had tried to tell him that,” she deadpanned, Terra letting out a short chuckle. 

“You two ganging up on me…yep, feels just like normal.”

“Back to bed-now,” Eraqus ordered, pointing in the general direction of Terra and Aqua’s bedrooms. 

“Can I please take a shower?” Terra whined, Eraqus relenting slightly with a lowering of his head. 

“Fine. But Aqua helps you, and so help me if you fall I am magically strapping you down to your bed afterward.” 

“Um…how am I supposed to help him…” 

“I’ll leave my shorts on, relax,” Terra sighed, trying to turn them around but not having the strength without Aqua’s help. 

The shower proved to be more complicated than Terra originally planned, as he had to hold his bandaged arm outside of the shower while Aqua, clad in her swimsuit (“I am not showering in my clothes, Terra!”), stood in the stall with him and helped him wash his hair. 

“If I have any dignity left after this ordeal, it’ll be a miracle,” Terra sighed as Aqua pushed him under the water to rinse off the shampoo, and he didn’t miss the grin on her face as she did so. 

“You’re the one who wanted to do this,” she grumbled, glad when she finally had him out and sitting on the closed toilet seat as she dried his hair. “Now, will you please listen to me and rest?”

To her surprise, he nodded, looking like the shower had taken more out of him than even she had noticed. “But my own bed? Please?”

“I don’t see why not, but I’m sleeping with you tonight,” she insisted, both of them blushing at her use of words before she clarified. “On the floor.” 

Once they got him dressed and in bed, Aqua was surprised to see his eyelids already fluttering shut, Terra struggling to keep them open. “You’re tired. Rest, please?”

“Fine,” Terra mumbled, closing his eyes for good once Aqua covered him with his own blanket. “Just a quick…nap.” 

Aqua sighed as she watched him for a moment, finally making the decision to lean down and lightly press a kiss to Terra’s forehead.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Can I please just-“

“No!” both Aqua and Eraqus replied at the same time, Terra rolling his eyes from where he sat beneath the tree, watching Aqua train. 

“But I’m _bored_,” Terra whined, sounding like a petulant child as he rolled over to lie on his back and stare at the sky.

“And still _broken_,” Aqua added, Terra using his casted arm to flip his middle finger at her. 

“Terra…” scolded Eraqus, Aqua grinning behind both their backs. “You will practice your magic as you were instructed and you will like it, or I will insist that you go back inside and review trigonometry.” 

“Just kill me now,” Terra groaned, summoning a small fire in his good hand and flicking it across the training ground. 

“Baby,” Aqua taunted, gaining her a simpering glare from Terra behind the Master’s back. 

“I swear, you two will be the death of me,” Eraqus sighed, raising his own Keyblade to Aqua again. “Now, again Aqua.” 

She attacked him again, a renewed vigor in her step as they had begun training once more, her skills improving every day in the hand to hand combat that she once lacked so much. 

“Good Aqua, you have improved so much,” Eraqus praised after another successful drill. 

“Still couldn’t beat me,” Terra grumbled cockily, lighting a small flower on fire over and over before casting Cure in between each one. 

“Fine, put your money where your mouth is, Terra,” the Master sighed, Terra and Aqua both looking at him like he had finally lost his marbles. With a snap of his fingers, the cast on Terra’s arm disappeared, and from the way Terra was flexing his fingers, so did any sign of it having ever been broken. 

“You could have just healed me all this time?!” Terra complained loudly, jumping up to his feet and holding his arms out in disbelief. “I’ve been sitting here for three weeks!”

“Three weeks that your other wounds have had time to heal, and your body to recover,” Eraqus replied with a sigh. “Unfortunately, it appears your mouth didn’t need as much time.” 

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Master?” Aqua asked, having babied Terra for the last three weeks and barely letting him blow his nose without assistance. 

“You’re just afraid I’m going to beat you again,” Terra replied, summoning his Keyblade back into his repaired hand with a grin. “Afraid to lose?”

Aqua sighed, unable to stop the smile that creeped onto her face at the sight of Terra’s sly grin. She supposed now was as good a time as ever. 

“Bring it on.”

**Author's Note:**

> I love to read comments, and am more than happy to hear prompt requests!


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